The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1887-01-27

iIy dhu prosperity VIII ICtulH W
all those engaged in growing and
dealing in this great staple.
Some people may say the creditor
will not wait. l say he will The
present cropof tobacco if forced on
IL --,a-1-at Ill --A y1I.-- ,,,ucb
of it does not now pay transportation
and warehouse charges, and when
that is chief reliance for the payment
of debts, why should the creditor be
unwilling to aid the debtor in the
only way by which he can get his
money? When the tobacco is sold
for little or nothing, his security and
the farmers reliance to pay are gone.
The merchant may say, that by
this arrangement his sales will stop
and he can make no collections, but
he cannot improve his situation by
forcing sale Of the tobacco, for that
will neither sell his goods nor collect
his debts, but will ruin his customers
and probably himself; therefore he will
forbear, because he will know that by
the reduction of one-half the crop of
tobacco next year, the improvements
in quality, and the raising of supplies,
with comparatively no increase of
liabilities, his debtor will be able to
pull through, save himself and pay his
debts. TO get out of the trouble
there must be cooperation. forbear-
ance, concessions, and mutual pledges
between the creditor and the farmer,
and the pledges must be carried out
in good faith.
Some farmers may say, what one said
to me few days ago, that if all agree
to put in but a half crop of tobacco, it
will be a good time for me to plant a
double crop. l told him that such an
act would not only be bad faith
towards his brother farmers, but might
result in disaster to himself, for if he
devoted all his energy and capital to
making double crop next year, and
for lack of season Or any other cause
failed, he might find himself much
worse off than his neighbor who raised
all his supplies and half crop of fine
tobacco, and my observation is that
the man who seeks through the power
ty of his neighbor to advance his own
fortune is generally the loser in the
long run.
Some may say the suggestions are
impracticable because they cannot be
carried out. That all the farmers will
not agree to them. / answer, wher
did all the farmers ever agree in any
thing? They never did and mos
likely never will, but the bulk of them
will cooperate and agree on plar
| that promises to save them from ruin
and those who do not will surely be
the sufferers.
No country can prosper long with {
PROSTATE and famishing agriculture. |
that is not lifted up every other indus
try will finally sink to the same level
Therefore it is the common interest o
all conditions and classes of people to
aid in restoring this great industry tC
prosperity. 1t is idle to suppose tha
one class of labor can continue to re
ceive from two to five dollars per day
while another class work for twenty tt
fifty cents per day: the one must g
up or the other must come down, anC
and the sooner the country understand
this the better it will be for us all.
The tobacco craze that took pos
session OF the country few years ago
has we'll nigh ruined those carried
away by it, and if it continues ever
one year more, many good old mel
engaged in farming, who like the mai
who started to the end of the rainbo,
to get a bag of gold, dazzled by tn
high prices of the fine tobacco of thi
section, abandoned his old crops an,
: sought his fortune by raising tobacco
will be looking aroudd for his windin
sheet.
! | we'll remember several years agt
when cotton was high and tobacc
low, number of farmers in this sec
ton abandoned tobacco and plante
f large crops OF cotton. They kne
, nothing of its cultivation. they wei
not prepared to take care of it, an
their lands were unsuited to it, and
f took them several years afterward
raising tobacco to make good the
5 losses in cotton.
While low grades of tobacco are :
: very low, fine bright cutters and file
= (of which there is but small propo
= ton in the present crop, are very hig
: and would advise that this grade
{ sold as fast as it can be gotten read
market.
1 If the farmers would farm neighbo
S hood clubs, where they could me
e once a month and talk over matte
: and take literally Of agricultural al
: other newspapers and learn what
: going on in the world, they would el
d JOY more of life and greatly impro
y their natural interest.
: If Opportunity offers | may give y
II another letter on this important su
5, ject, but enough for the present,
e w. T. SUTHERLIN.